MED. For a long time waiting for the event, my friends, I am anxiously
expecting what will be the result thence. And I see indeed one of the
domestics of Jason coming hither, and his quickened breath shows that he
will be the messenger of some new ill.
MESS. O thou, that hast impiously perpetrated a deed of terror, Medea, fly,
fly, leaving neither the ocean chariot,[35] nor the car whirling o'er the
plain.
MED. But what is done that requires this flight?
MESS. The princess is just dead, and Creon her father destroyed by thy
charms.
MED. Thou hast spoken most glad tidings: and hereafter from this time shalt
thou be among my benefactors and friends.
MESS. What sayest thou? Art thou in thy senses, and not mad, lady? who
having destroyed the king and family, rejoicest at hearing it, and fearest
not such things?
MED. I also have something to say to these words of thine at least; but be
not hasty, my friend; but tell me how they perished, for twice as much
delight wilt thou give me if they died miserably.
MESS. As soon as thy two sons were come with their father, and had entered
the bridal house, we servants, who were grieved at thy misfortunes, were
delighted; and immediately there was much conversation in our ears, that
thy husband and thou had brought the former quarrel to a friendly
termination. One kissed the hand, another the auburn head of thy sons, and
I also myself followed with them to the women's apartments through joy. But
my mistress, whom we now reverence instead of thee, before she saw thy two
sons enter, held her cheerful eyes fixed on Jason; afterward however she
covered her eyes, and turned aside her white cheek, disgusted at the
entrance of thy sons; but thy husband quelled the anger and rage of the
young bride, saying this; Be not angry with thy friends, but cease from thy
rage, and turn again thy face, esteeming those as friends, whom thy husband
does. But receive the gifts, and ask thy father to give up the sentence of
banishment against these children for my sake. But when she saw the
ornaments, she refused not, but promised her husband every thing; and
before thy sons and their father were gone far from the house, she took and
put on the variegated robes, and having placed the golden chaplet around
her tresses she arranges her hair in the radiant mirror, smiling at the
lifeless image of her person. And after, having risen from her seat, she
goes across the chamber, elegantly tripping with snow-white foot; rejoicing
greatly in the presents, looking much and oftentimes with her eyes on her
outstretched neck.[36] After that however there was a sight of horror to
behold. For having changed color, she goes staggering back trembling in her
limbs, and is scarce in time to prevent herself from falling on the ground,
by sinking into a chair. And some aged female attendant, when she thought
that the wrath either of Pan or some other Deity[37] had visited her,
offered up the invocation, before at least she sees the white foam bursting
from her mouth, and her mistress rolling her eyeballs from their sockets,
and the blood no longer in the flesh; then she sent forth a loud shriek of
far different sound from the strain of supplication; and straightway one
rushed to the apartments of her father, but another to her newly-married
husband, to tell the calamity befallen the bride, and all the house was
filled with frequent hurryings to and fro. And by this time a swift runner,
exerting his limbs, might have reached[38] the goal of the course of six
plethra;[39] but she, wretched woman, from being speechless, and from a
closed eye having groaned deeply writhed in agony; for a double pest was
warring against her. The golden chaplet indeed placed on her head was
sending forth a stream of all-devouring fire wonderful to behold, but the
fine-wrought robes, the presents of thy sons, were devouring the white
flesh of the hapless woman. But she having started from her seat flies, all
on fire, tossing her hair and head on this side and that side, desirous of
shaking off the chaplet; but the golden wreath firmly kept its hold; but
the fire, when she shook her hair, blazed out with double fury, and she
sinks upon the ground overcome by her sufferings, difficult for any one
except her father to recognize. For neither was the expression of her eyes
clear, nor her noble countenance; but the blood was dropping from the top
of her head mixed with fire. But her flesh was dropping off her bones, as
the tear from the pine-tree, by the hidden fangs of the poison; a sight of
horror. But all feared to touch the body, for we had her fate to warn us.
But the hapless father, through ignorance of her suffering, having come
with haste into the apartment, falls on the corpse, and groans immediately;
and having folded his arms round her, kisses her, saying these words; O
miserable child, what Deity hath thus cruelly destroyed thee? who makes an
aged father bowing to the tomb[40] bereaved of thee? Alas me! let me die
with thee, my child. But after he had ceased from his lamentations and
cries, desiring to raise his aged body, he was held, as the ivy by the
boughs of the laurel, by the fine-wrought robes; and dreadful was the
struggle, for he wished to raise his knee, but she held him back; but if he
drew himself away by force he tore the aged flesh from his bones. But at
length the wretched man swooned away, and gave up his life; for no longer
was he able to endure the agony. But they lie corses, the daughter and aged
father near one another; a calamity that demands tears. And let thy affairs
indeed be not matter for my words; for thou thyself wilt know a refuge from
punishment. But the affairs of mortals not now for the first time I deem a
shadow, and I would venture to say that those persons who seem to be wise
and are researchers of arguments, these I say, run into the greatest folly.
For no mortal man is happy; but wealth pouring in, one man may be more
fortunate than another, but happy he can not be.
CHOR. The Deity, it seems, will in this day justly heap on Jason a variety
of ills. O hapless lady, how we pity thy sufferings, daughter of Creon, who
art gone to the house of darkness, through thy marriage with Jason.
MED. The deed is determined on by me, my friends, to slay my children as
soon as possible, and to hasten from this land; and not by delaying to give
my sons for another hand more hostile to murder. But come, be armed, my
heart; why do we delay to do dreadful but necessary deeds? Come, O wretched
hand of mine, grasp the sword, grasp it, advance to the bitter goal of
life, and be not cowardly, nor remember thy children how dear they are, how
thou broughtest them into the world; but for this short day at least forget
thy children; hereafter lament. For although thou slayest them,
nevertheless they at least were dear, but I a wretched woman.
CHOR. O thou earth, and thou all-illuming beam of the sun, look down upon,
behold this abandoned woman, before she move her blood-stained hand itself
about to inflict the blow against her children; for from thy golden race
they sprung; but fearful is it for the blood of Gods to fall by the hand of
man. But do thou, O heaven-born light, restrain her, stop her, remove from
this house this blood-stained and miserable Erinnys agitated by the Furies.
The care of thy children perishes in vain, and in vain hast thou produced a
dear race, O thou who didst leave the most inhospitable entrance of the
Cyanean rocks, the Symplegades. Hapless woman, why does such grievous rage
settle on thy mind; and hostile slaughter ensue? For kindred pollutions are
difficult of purification to mortals; correspondent calamities falling from
the Gods to the earth upon the houses of the murderers.[41]
FIRST SON. (_within_) Alas! what shall I do? whither shall I fly from my
mother's hand?
SECOND SON. I know not, dearest brother, for we perish.
CHOR. Hearest thou the cry? hearest thou the children? O wretch, O
ill-fated woman! Shall I enter the house? It seems right to me to ward off
the murderous blow from the children.
SONS. Nay, by the Gods assist us, for it is in needful time; since now at
least are we near the destruction of the sword.
CHOR. Miserable woman, art thou then a rock, or iron, who cuttest down with
death by thine own hand the fair crop of children which thou producedst
thyself? one indeed I hear of, one woman of those of old, who laid violent
hands on her children, Ino, maddened by the Gods when the wife of Jove sent
her in banishment from her home; and she miserable woman falls into the sea
through the impious murder of her children, directing her foot over the
sea-shore, and dying with her two sons, there she perished! what then I
pray can be more dreadful than this? O thou bed of woman, fruitful in ills,
how many evils hast thou already brought to men!